Saudi Arabia on UN Gender Equality Commission

“..The United Nations’ Economic and Social Council has voted, by secret ballot, to place the kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Commission on the Status of Women.

The commission aims at “empowering” women and ensuring their equality. The commission’s newest member, Saudi Arabia, bans women from opening a bank account without their husband’s permission.

UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights group, condemned the decision to elect Saudi Arabia to the agency that is “exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.”

“Electing Saudi Arabia to protect women’s rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch. “It’s absurd.” The Saudis were elected to four-year term, beginning in 2018..”Saudi Arabia on UN Gender Equality Commission